Allen “Skip” Roth, an accomplished chainsaw artist, was wrongfully incarcerated for the murder of his son’s abuser in 1996. After spending three years in a maximum-security prison Roth wrote his autobiographical tale, which exposed the holes in his defense and eventually set him free. Chainsaw’s Justice is a chilling true story about those who fall through the holes in our justice system, trying desperately to protect their families.

Chainsaw’s Justice is the story of the Roth family, originally from Florida, who moved to the mountains of North Carolina to lead a simpler life. After a few years a neighbor, Sam Williams, molested Skip’s oldest son. When the parents step in to try and end the abuse, Williams, his family, friends and most of the community start a campaign of open warfare on the Roth family. Roth tells his tale with refreshing simplicity, citing examples and the illegal proceedings that contributed to his unfair trial and sentence.

Written in a highly conversational tone with character oozing out of the chapters, Chainsaw’s Justice will draw you into the unsavory face of community and inspire hope to fight back.

2 comments:

Anonymous
said...

The description of this book is misleading on several accounts. This book was written some 9 years after the murder took place and had nothing to do with the authors release. The appeals court granted a retrial due to an error in the judges charge to the jury. The author pled guilty to a lesser charge and was released on time served.Although the story of a crazed child molester adds excitement the real murder occurred over a land dispute.The fanciful claims of "open warfare" on Mr Roth are greatly exaggerated attempts to justify murder.This is simply another attempt to stereotype the rural appalachian people as illiterate sex-crazed inbred lunatics. I challenge readers to visit rural NC themselves and they will find it to be a peace loving and tolerant people. When I moved to this area I was readily accepted as were others from all backgrounds and from all parts of the country.This tawdry attempt to justify cold-blooded murder by falsely portraying a community is yet another shameful chapter in the way outsiders like to portray the rural south.Chainsaw Justice may feed the appetites of those who like to look down on rural mountain folks...but if you want to learn what mountain people are truly like, then there are plenty of other good books out there. Better yet, pay us a visit yourself...our door is always open.

Tsk. tsk. tsk. murder is such a ugly word, but then people who hide behind “Anonymous” to hide their “dirty little secrets” are used to ugly. They live ugly every day. Anonymous would have you believe that being charged with murder automatically makes one guilty even after the North Carolina Appellate Court over turned the murder conviction and I quote from that ruling “ The state produced no evidence that contradicted Self Defense”. The judge Anonymous mentions, has resigned her judgeship in disgrace because of her malfeasance, misfeasance, and nonfeasance at this murder trial. Is the defending of one’s children ,while standing in your own driveway, from a gun waving, drunk, enraged, serial pedophile, cold blooded murder? Did I mention the pedophile was defying a legal restraining order, when he committed suicide. Aiming a revolver at two of my children while shouting “ I’m gonna’ kill you somabitches” in my presence is a suicide attempt. I protected my children, isn’t protecting our children the job description of every red blooded American parent? Would any parent let his children be murdered before their eyes? What would have Anonymous have done in the same circumstances? “The land dispute” was adjudicated ( that’s where the restraining order originated from) a decade before the shoot-out occurred.

Anonymous would have you believe that all the people who live in the Southern Appalachian Mountains are sexual predators as Max Gilliam was. The truth of the matter is that, sexual predators are everywhere even in Appalachia. We still live in the same county in North Carolina, we still enjoy the same friends. Anonymous describes all of the indigenous population of Southern Appalachia as illiterate, sex-crazed, inbred, lunatics . His/her words, my punctuation, Chainsaw’s Justice make no such claim. Chainsaw’s Justice does call a spade a spade, and it call a serial child-molester a serial child-molester. Every word printed in Chainsaw’s Justice is backed up by reams of documentation.Those of us who are not ashamed of who they are, or what they have to say, sign their names.Skip Roth

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Worthy Read is a book review blog that publishes short reviews of the many good books that don't always get much recognition in the media, as well as those more established names. The Blog also features articles of general interest on issues of topical interest.